Paris Olympics: HK$10 million per gold? Hong Kong lawmaker wants taxpayer to match prizes, city reveals no fixed medal target
- Legislator Michael Luk says Hong Kong government should be more ‘proactive’ and match prizes from companies and Jockey Club
- Hong Kong athletes must ‘strive for their best performances’ in Paris but government opts against stating yardstick for success
Hong Kong athletes who win gold at the Paris Olympics should have their financial rewards matched by the taxpayer, a lawmaker has suggested, in a week when the government declined to state a medal target for the Games.
If implemented, the move could potentially net athletes HK$10 million (US$1.275 million) or more, given that fencer Cheung Ka-long was awarded HK$5 million by Hong Kong Jockey Club when he won gold in Tokyo in 2021.
Legislator Michael Luk Chung-hung said the Hong Kong government needed to be more “proactive” in offering incentives.
Luk wants the government to establish a system in which it works together with private firms and sports bodies such as Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) and the city’s Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SF&OC).
“My suggestion is for a well-organised sponsorship programme … to encourage our athletes to win a medal at the Olympic Games,” Luk said. “I think at least HK$1 million for a bronze medal and HK$5 million for gold is reasonable.
“This kind of encouragement should be organised before the Games, not like before where I think it has been quite casual.
